Preheat oven to 400. Wash and halve the tomatoes. Halve the pepper, removing the core and seeds and cut into chunks. Cut the onion in quarters. Place the vegetables on a large baking pan. Sprinkle with the olive oil and toss to coat the vegetables. Bake for about 30 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and add the vegetables to a soup pot .

Add the broth, thyme, salt, pepper, and corn to the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool 20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree or place one-third of tomato mixture in a blender; process until smooth. Place pureed mixture in a large bowl. Repeat procedure twice with remaining tomato mixture. Add soup back to pot over medium heat; cook until thoroughly heated. Taste for seasonings and stir in additional salt and black pepper to taste. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 2 teaspoons cheese and 1 teaspoon chives.